Nokia Windows Phone 7 - the competition

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Nokia and Microsoft have confirmed that they are to form a “broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem”, the two companies have announced on Friday morning.

Brilliant, but who is Nokia up against and what Windows Phone 7 smartphones are out there at the moment that Nokia will have to beat? We take a look at the current handsets on the market to let you see what Nokia's got to go up against.

HTC

HTC doesn’t do things by halves. The Taiwanese company luzzed five handsets onto the BBQ to sizzle in the sunshine as Windows Phone 7 got underway. You can get the majority of them in both Europe and the US. The only one to watch out for is the HTC 7 Surround, which is a North America only release.

HTC HD7

Size

122 x 68 x 11.2mm, 162g

Screen

4.3”, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz

Camera

5MP with AF and flashlight

Memory

576MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 8/16GB storage

Network

T-Mobile US, O2 UK

The HTC HD7 is the biggest and probably the most exciting handset for most consumers who are after something from the Taiwanese smartphone specialist. The 4.3-inch LCD makes it all about consuming content. There’s a kickstand for sitting it on your desk or tray table, for watching movies, and it’s the best choice in terms of visual real-estate for gaming with Xbox Live Arcade.

It features Dolby Mobile and SRS surround sound, it’s quad band and it’s got all the connectivity you could want with n-Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and a 3.5mm jack as well. There’s a 1230mAh battery, motion, proximity and light sensors, and you can, of course, shoot 720p HD video.

HTC 7 Mozart

Size

119 x 60.2 x 11.9mm, 130g

Screen

3.7”, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz

Camera

8MP with AF and xenon flash

Memory

576MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 8GB storage

Network

Orange & T-Mobile UK

The HTC 7 Mozart is an Orange exclusive in the UK and doesn’t look like it's ever coming to America, which is rather a shame given its unibody, anodised aluminium stylish good looks. With a 3.7-inch screen, it’s something of an HTC Legend of the WP7 world and what it loses in display size on the HD7 it makes up for in imaging with an 8-megapixel camera and proper flash which will, again, shoot 720p HD video.

Like the HD7 it also has all the same connections, sensors and sound options and a slightly larger 1300mAh battery, which should offer more time between charges given the smaller screen.

HTC 7 Surround

Size

119.5 x 61.5 x 12.97mm, 165g

Screen

3.8”, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz

Camera

5MP with AF and LED flash

Memory

576MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 8GB storage

Network

AT&T US

Available in North America only, the 7 was dropped for its AT&T exclusive and is now known just as the HTC Surround. Unsurprisingly, the theme of the handset is sound and that added thickness on the dimensions is all about a slideout speaker to make music from a mobile actually sound good - mixed news for regular bus riders.

Sensor and connectivity-wise, it’s the same as the others in the series. There is 720p HD video recording and the slightly smaller 1230mAh battery, worth remembering given that it has to support that external speaker set up.

HTC 7 Pro

Size

117.5 x 59 x 15.5mm, 183.5g

Screen

3.6”, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz

Camera

5MP with AF and LED flash

Memory

576MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 16GB storage

Network

UK (2010), Sprint US (2011)

This being Windows Mobile, there had to be a business option, and with a name like the HTC 7 Pro, it’s hard to miss. That said, there’s still a decent size screen and all the same surround sound features. What you get here is a maxed-out amount of storage, 1.8Mbps uploads, 3.1Mbps downloads and a good looking slide and tilt out QWERTY keyboard to match all the Outlook and Office tie-ins you’d expect with Microsoft. There’s also a sizeable 1500mAh battery to make sure you get at least a full day’s use out of it.

HTC 7 Trophy

Size

118.5 x 61.5 x 11.96mm, 140g

Screen

3.8”, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz

Camera

5MP with AF and flash

Memory

576MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 8GB storage

Network

Vodafone

The HTC 7 Trophy is billed as an all-rounder for entertainment with Xbox Live gaming and surround sound technology all cited as pluses. In actuality, of course, all the HTC Windows Phone 7 phones come with that anyway. They all feature the same RAM and CPU specs and large touchscreens, so should all perform pretty well. What you seem to get with the 7 Trophy is essentially a Windows answer to the Nexus One/HTC Desire. They are a very similar size, form and indeed spec as well.

LG

With two or three handsets available, it’s just the LG Optimus 7 and Optimus 7Q that are available at the moment. Doubtless more to come from LG - just not quite yet.

LG Optimus 7

Size

129 x 59.8 x 11.5mm

Screen

3.8”, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz QSD8650

Camera

5MP with AF and LED flash

Memory

576MB RAM, 512MB ROM,16GB storage

Network

TBC

First out the gate and a little ahead of schedule back at launch in October 2010 was the LG Optimus 7. It’s a similar kind of of proposition as the HTC 7 Trophy, but with a healthy amount of storage and also a nice, big 1500mAh battery to keep it ticking over for as much of the day as possible - fingers crossed. LG also revealed a few features that it hoped would set the Optimus 7 apart from the other WP7 handsets; including Play-To, which is its DLNA multimedia sharing platform; Scansearch, which is an augmented reality style real-time search assistant and Voice-to-Text, which it says: "is a godsend for text addicts, allowing voice to text transcribing for Facebook and Twitter updates, emails or memos for a convenient hands free experience."

LG Optimus 7Q / LG Quantum

Size

TBC

Screen

3.5”, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz

Camera

5MP with AF and LED flash

Memory

576MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 16GB storage

Network

AT&T US, UK TBC

Virtually identical to the Optimus 7 but a little greyer, rounded and with a smaller screen, the LG Optimus 7Q, or LG Quantum as it is in the States, is the slideout QWERTY brother to the handset above. It still packs all the DLNA, connectivity and LG-added features, only this time you get a full finger tapper for that communicator edge. It’s set to be arriving in the UK and EU as well, and we’ll let you know with whom as soon as we do.

Samsung

Where LG goes, you’ll generally find arch-rival Samsung as well. This time though, it’s just the one phone, and the Samsung Omnia 7 (i8700), or Samsung Focus in the US, comes with all of Samsung’s display technology know-how.

Samsung Omnia 7 / Samsung Focus

Size

122.4x 64.2 x 10.99 mm, 138g

Screen

4.0”, Super AMOLED, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250

Camera

5MP with AF and LED flash

Memory

8GB internal storage

Network

AT&T in US, Three in UK

Like all the other phones seen at the WP7 launch, the Omnia 7 comes with a 1GHz processor and a regulation 5-megapixel camera as well. The interesting change here is that Samsung has opted for AMOLED, or Super AMOLED as boasted, rather than LCD technology. Other tricks include an FM radio as well as the same connectivity and HD video recording too. It also features a 1500mAh battery with a promised 330 minutes 3G usage time.

Dell

Good to see Dell getting itself to market, and although it might not be called the Lightening, it bears more than a passing resemblance to its sibling, the Android-based Dell Thunder. Certainly one to consider.

Dell Venue Pro

Size

TBC

Screen

4.1”, AMOLED, 480 x 800

CPU

1GHz Snapdragon

Camera

5MP with AF and flash

Memory

TBC

Network

US - T-Mobile & UK - TBC

The Dell Venue Pro is certainly an original idea and stands out rather nicely against other WP7 handsets. There are only a couple of slideouts among the pack, but what makes the Venue Pro interesting is that it's a portrait QWERTY rather than one that comes out the side. It also happens to be only the second handset to go for an AMOLED screen, which also comes with a good chunk of Gorilla glass to keep it looking good.